Smartcard Reader
thumbThe Smartcard Reader reads the data off a Smartcard and into Encore Pro. Respironics uses a specifically built reader, the Infineer DT-3500 reader manufactured by Mako Technologies to read the Smartcards into Encore Pro. No other card reader has been found to work with Encore Pro. The Smartcard Reader can be bought from conventional cpap suppliers, either bundled with Encore Pro or free-standing. The cheapest source is to buy them direct from Two Factors in Hong Kong. The above distributor for MAKO (Two-Factors) no longer represents Mako as of 5/08. Mako has other distributors. One of them is Envoy Data of Gilbert, AZ. 480-829-6565 It is currently available for $24.95 plus shipping. I called Envoy Data today, July 21, 2008, and the nice gentleman there informed me that they are now only allowed to sell the device to Respironics. There are a few places that sell it for $50 and some for the outrageous price of $140, even without Encore Viewer software. After considering pricing, availability, sales tax, and shipping charges, I purchased from one of the $50 places, cpapusa.com: Manufacturer: Infineer Product Code: DT3500, and it works as expected. The Correct Encore Pro Drivers are still available (for the present time) as of 7/1/08 from the Two Factors Site, even though they are no longer an authorized distributor. These drivers are required if you purchase the DT-3500 from anyone else other than Respironics, as these aftermarket readers do not come with a CD containing any drivers or software. When you install the driver software, use the drivers on the Encore Pro CD. The drivers that come on the CD supplied with the card reader bought from Two Factors do nnot seem to work with Encore Pro. Some times users have difficulties reading their Smartcards. Its is hard to distinguish whether or not the difficulty is due to the Smartcard itself or the reader. So please check the Smartcard discussion as well as this section for troubleshooting. Incorrect Driver If you are having difficulty reading cards , maybe you have installed the incorrect driver as described above. Some users have found that the Smartcard Reader needs a lot of power and will only work if the USB plug is plugged directly into the PC itself and not into an extension, say on the monitor. Others have found that the the USB plug has to stay plugged into the port it was initially installed on. Changing USB ports does not work. Use of a Powered USB Hub will also cause a reader not to be recognized. Smartcard Services Setting Some users found that Smartcard Reader works one time and then refuses to work again unless the reader is connected to another USB port or Encore Pro is re-installed again. Lindychris discovered that this was due to the fact the Smartcard Services had to be changed from manual to autostart. The procedure for changing this has been described by dsm along the following lines... *1) Open the 'Control Panel' & doubleclick 'Administrative Tools' *2) In Administrative Tools doubleclick the 'Services' entry *3) You should now [see the services panel - scroll down ... *4) until you locate the 'Smartcard' entry -doubleclick it. *5) Set 'Startup Type' to 'Automatic' & click 'Apply' *6) Return to services & check it shows Automatic for startup" References Rested Gal's Links to Smart Card Reader issues. Category:PAP Features